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Welcome to She Came in Through the Bathroom Window!

Here is a space where you can read about my life as an older student, an expat living in the Netherlands, a couple who is living between two countries with their two cats and a traveller who is always planning about the next destination.

Doors of San Francisco, Part Two.

Architecture photography has a very special place in my heart. The streets, the buildings, trees, facades, windows… they are all little puzzle pieces that give the city its ‘vibe’. I like historical cities where the buildings go as early as couple of hundred years back and you can still read ‘Tailor’ or ‘Butcher’ shop signs made by marbles on a little café. That’s why I will never get bored of traveling through Europe. So much historical beauty in such a small space.

Spending three weeks in the United States, has changed my view on this topic and I’ve added some new cities to my long list of ‘Places I Would Go Over And Over Again’. San Francisco on that list, without a doubt, takes the first place.

Recently, I have decided to write a small piece in order to honour the most beautiful details of this city: the doorways. So just sit back and take a sip of your coffee while you enjoy reading our days in the city of San Francisco with the little help from the colourful doors.

♠

Door Number 775

It was roughly 8 a.m but we were already showered, dressed up, gotten our caffeine fix and ready right outside of our hotel. A busy day walking to the Fisherman’s Wharf, a strolling through the Pier 39 and visiting the iconic Painted Ladies. Busy day indeed but nothing short of entertaining.

Whenever we are exploring a new city, we always end up walking for the majority of the day. Not that we have anything against public transportation -they do suck sometimes- but walking makes us feel more included in the daily life and we always end up catching the little details this city has to offer.

That’s when we came across Warrington 775, a gorgeous doorway right at the hearth of the city, surrounded by big towering hotels. To describe the contrast, despite the clean esthetics of this photo; we were tired -again, walking for hours everyday is never easy-, defeated by the sun, hungry and my pretty shoes were betraying my feet by causing blistering. On top of that, we were wondering if the tram we are about to take is the correct one or not. Not the condition I would wish anyone to see us in but all those can’t stop me from snapping a pretty doorway when I see one.

♣

Door Numbers 534, 532, 530

San Francisco can impress you at every corner. Looking away or checking your map for a moment and you might overlook some of the finest details that make this city so unique.

The coffee is tasty, people are relaxed, streets are busy and the hills are steep.

On our way to the Painted Ladies we’ve stopped for a moment to check where we were and apparently we took a wrong turn somewhere. Which brings us to door numbers 534, 532 and 530. Small details we wouldn’t be able to come across if we didn’t get lost first.

These doors belonged to a building that looks like a worn out version of all the other gorgeous buildings surrounding it. Looking very calm, almost unoccupied. What made them special was the sign right next to door 534; saying ‘We don’t care about who you are or which country you come from, if you are in need of a shelter, ring the bell. We don’t believe in walls.’

Small sign with a big meaning. These doors may not be the prettiest of all, but they are the most important. Without even thinking about it, I took this photo.

♥

Door Number 210

Door number 210 was not the easiest one to spot. This little house we’ve spotted on our way to Pier 39 was nicely tucked away on a crowded street, hiding in a coat of greenery.

It was surrounded by a small garden which looked like it belongs to another place rather than San Francisco. The trees grew taller and the calming sound of the small fountain was there only if you stopped and listened to it.

If you are one of those who enjoys spending time at home more than being outside, this house would be your oasis. Just grab your book, your warm cup of coffee and hang out in that garden until someone has to come and check if you were alright. That’s my kind of a weekend, indeed!

Leaving my dreams behind, I chose to listen to my rumbling stomach. After I’ve snapped a quick photo, we’ve continued our way to grab a bite. What matters more at that point was whether I felt more like tacos or a burrito.

-Ceren

♦

Our trip didn’t end there and neither did the artistic doorways of San Francisco. If you liked what you’ve read so far, why not tune in for Doors of San Francisco, Part Three?

Missed the beginning? then don’t forget to read Part One!

You can find more photos of San Francisco on my Instagram account! Find me @crn.spymn